Now the cases of online scams are increasing continuously in India. In the last few months, thousands of people have become victims of unknown cyber hackers and have suffered losses running into lakhs of rupees. One such case has come to light from Gujarat's Ahmedabad, where a woman allegedly lost Rs 1.38 lakh after falling for a courier delivery scam. The scammers requested the victim to pay a fee of Rs 5 to receive the parcel and this is where the scam started.
The game of scams started from here
According to a Times of India report, 25-year-old fashion designer Mitiksha Sheth was waiting for a parcel of cloth pieces that she had given to a tailor in Paldi to be stitched. After the order is completed, the tailor informs him that the order has been sent for delivery. However, when the victim did not receive her parcel even after 2-3 days of the call, she started tracking the order with the help of courier details provided by the tailor.
Minutes after tracking the parcel on a website, the victim received a call from an unknown person who introduced himself as an employee of a courier firm. The said employee told the woman that he had her parcel and would deliver it after paying the delivery charges. He asked the woman to pay a fee of Rs 5 for receiving the parcel.
One wrong click and an empty bank account
The scammer caller shared a link with the woman for payment. The woman paid Rs 5 through the link. However, after payment, he was once again asked to pay Rs 5 as an additional fee. The woman further said that after the second transaction, she suspected online fraud and hence deactivated my bank account. I didn't use my cellphone between May 13 and May 21 because I was traveling.
"However, a few days after the call, when the victim checked her account, she found less money in her bank balance. Later, when I tried to send some money to my friend, I found that my account was debited," the woman said. There just isn't enough balance."
The victim went to the bank branch the next day and checked her statement, which revealed that Rs 1.38 lakh had been debited from her account in four transactions on May 12 and May 13. After this, the victim called the cybercrime helpline and complained of cyber fraud.
This is the way to save
The Cyber Crime Department has warned people to beware of scams. People have been asked not to share any confidential information like OTP or password with anyone and not to click on any suspicious link for payment. As in the case above, when the victim clicked on the phishing link, the scammers were able to gain access to her account. Awareness is the key to avoiding cyber scams and people are asked to be alert to any such unsolicited calls.
(pc amarujala)
